Partners & Friends

Board of Directors

David Shuel. Chair

David was born in Indianapolis and graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in business management. He spent most of his adult life in Chicago where he raised his two children. There, David ran the Chicago location of his family business, HP Products, a full-service industrial supply distribution company with over eight hundred employees. When HP sold to Ferguson Supply in 2014, David moved his family to Sarasota and purchased his own business, Beneva Flowers and Plantscapes.

It was at Beneva Flowers that David learned about Project 180. David hired a man who, unbeknownst to him, was a Project 180 resident/returning citizen. The employee shared how Project 180 had impacted his life. David immediately reached out to Project 180’s CEO, Barbara Richards, to see how he could help make a positive impact in the Sarasota community through the organization. Barbara invited David and his partner, Leah, to have dinner with the guys at Keifer’s House, one of the Project 180 residences. They were so moved by the experience that David called Barbara the next day and asked how he could get involved to support Project 180’s good work.

David joined the board shortly after and has become deeply involved in the organization. He has since hired his third employee through Project 180 and has found that being a Second Chance employer is a great investment in his business.

Wendy Cox. Vice Chair

Wendy Cox is an attorney and non-profit fund development consultant. She was a trial lawyer for many years in Minnesota and after moving to Florida began representing foster kids in dependency court as a pro-bono attorney. Many foster kids have parents who have been in jail or prison and that is where she saw firsthand the extent to which the incarceration of an individual impacts their children.

Because of her interest in criminal justice issues, a friend introduced Wendy to Barbara Richards who shared the mission and work of Project 180. That was seven years ago. Since then, Wendy has been an active volunteer and financial supporter. “Providing people with the resources and encouragement they need to live their best life is what motivates my commitment to this work. People face challenges in life and to turn things around, they need someone to believe in them and help them design and implement their roadmap to success. That promotes real opportunity for change which impacts individuals, their families and entire communities. That is what Project 180 does.”

In 2006 Wendy and Jim, her husband of 35 years, moved from Minnesota to Florida to get away from a lifetime of shoveling snow. They have both recently retired. When not volunteering for local non-profits, Wendy enjoys yoga, fly-fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities that do not require a winter jacket.

Monica Waterman, Secretary

Currently with Allison James Estates and Homes, Monica has been a residential real estate agent for over 22 years. She is passionate about community and that, regardless of size or structure, the real value of community lies in the shared connections between its individuals. Monica feels that a strong sense of community can provide a sense of belonging, support, and mutual respect while fostering a sense of purpose and encouraging individuals to work towards common goals. As a community, we are at our best when we are helping our fellow members during times of struggle.

Monica serves on the Housing Task Force at Project 180, using her years of experience and knowledge of the local market to help identify and acquire properties that serve as a good fit for our Residential Program. She dedicates her work with Project 180 to the memory of her beloved son, Joe, who lost his fight with addiction in 2003.

Hailing from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Monica has spent over 30 years living, working and raising three wonderful children in the Sarasota/Manatee County area and still wakes up every day with overwhelming gratitude that she gets to make a living helping people achieve their goals and make their dreams come true.

Vince Montesano, Treasurer

Vince was born in the Bronx, New York and graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelors of Science in Business Adminstration with a concentration in Finance. He then went on to pursue his MBA at Harvard Business School graduating in 1995. After Business School, Vince spent over 25 years on Wall Street in various finance and sales related roles.

It was Vince’s relationship with board member David Shuel and David’s company, Beneva, that bridged Vince’s introduction to Project 180. Vince was ready to spend more time making a positive impact to the community and the mission and values of Project 180 were a great match.

After a busy career in finance, Vince is enjoying a much slower pace of life since moving to Florida in 2018 with his wife, Jen, and daughter, Kate. He enjoys traveling, playing pickleball, staying fit through his commitment to F3 Suncoast and watching his daughter compete in both indoor and beach volleyball.

Marirosa Aponte Lamas

Marirosa has spent her career working in the criminal justice field. She entered the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections in 1991 and retired as Regional Supervising Superintendent 2020 after 30 years of service. She has received many awards and accolades throughout her career most notably, Pennsylvania Prison Warden of the Year in 2018. Of note, Marirosa, born in Puerto Rico, was and still is the only Hispanic Superintendent in the Pennsylvania Department of Correction’s history. An established pro-justice and criminal reform advocate, she has successfully participated in serval commutations of those formerly incarcerated.

Marirosa is a 1989 graduate of Penn State University, University Park earning a BA in Administration of Justice. She then earned her Masters of Science from Shippensburg University in 1997 also in Administration of Justice.

Marirosa and her husband Jeraldo Aponte moved to Sarasota, Florida shortly after retirement. She endeavors to continue her passion of restorative justice all the while ensuring that our communities are strongholds of justice and safety. When asked why she decided to serve on the board of Project 180, Marirosa says, “If you do not stand up for something, you will fall for everything.”

She is a dedicated family aunt, and sister and an avid animal lover, mother to two fur babies, and an intense pickleball player.

Bob Benson

Bob spent most of his career in the magazine publishing industry successfully launching several new and redesigned magazines, creating new revenue channels in paid circulation direct marketing and trade show events. He graduated from Babson College, Wellesley Massachusetts and lived in Connecticut for much of his adult life until retiring to Sarasota in 2005. Once retired, he learned that you can only do so much golfing and fishing so he partnered with two business associates launching a marketing consultancy called White Hawk Partners doing advanced analytics on data bases for firm s like Visa, Amex, United Healthcare Genpact.

In addition to his professional endeavors, Bob has been very active as a volunteer. He has volunteered in the Men’s Recovery Pod at the Sarasota County Jail since 2009 and has taken AA meetings into six Florida Prisons. In 2024 he was named Sarasota Volunteer of the Year. When asked why he wanted to get more involved with Project 180 Bob says his primary purpose is to help others.

Bob has been married to his wife, Lynn for 47 years and they have two grandchildren. In their spare time, they enjoy traveling the world having already visited 68 countries.

Steven Conry

Steven has spent 42 years in the Corrections field including prisons, jails, detention centers and residential reentry centers. He started his career on the front lines as a Correction Officer and rose to Chief of Operations with over 23 years of service in the New York City Department of Corrections. He spent his last 19 years as a V.P. of Operations at CoreCivic. During the past six years he has focused on reducing recidivism via CoreCivic’s expansive, evidence-based, reentry programs. In 2024 he stepped down from Operations and assumed a Senior Advisor position there.

Steven spent considerable time in the recent past creating and operating programs that focused on assisting returning citizens in their journey toward family reunification, recovery, independent living and sustainable employment. With his operational and activation experience, he is uniquely positioned to help with the potential expansion of Project 180 residences for men and women. Steven has a masters degree in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Steven’s Non-Profit Experience includes serving on the Board of Directors for Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA Nashville. He has also been a supporter of the Men of Valor Program in Nashville for 20 years. Steve joined the board of Project 180 in 2025. When asked what motivates him to help people who have been released from incarceration he says “Having seen the challenges firsthand that both returning citizens and our communities face with recidivism, I wanted to spend my time making a difference in the reentry field”.

Steve moved to Sarasota in 2023 full-time with his wife Kelly and enjoys spending time on and around the gulf and Florida’s other waterways.

Joe Malave

With more than 27 years in the financial services industry, Joe, a certified financial planner (CFP) with Palm Avenue Wealth Advisory Group at Raymond James, works closely with families and professionals to help them address each of their financial objectives and move toward the future with confidence. Before joining Raymond James, Joe was a financial advisor with UBS and NFP Securities. He began his career as a registered principal helping to run four offices for Cigna Financial Advisors in Southern California, before becoming a Regional Vice President for several insurance companies such as Allianz, Pacific Life and Transamerica. Joe earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Connecticut and completed coursework toward an MBA.

Joe volunteers his time as a financial literacy instructor with Project 180 in an effort to reduce recidivism locally at the Sarasota County Jail. When asked why he chose to get involved with Project 180, Joe says “to help save lives in a vulnerable part of the population people forget and ignore. Helping them makes our community safer and more productive. “

Originally from Newington, Connecticut, Joe lives in Sarasota and has two daughters, Layna and Nora. In his spare time, he plays tennis and practices mixed martial arts including Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu and Combat Submission Wrestling.

Pamela Gore Meade

Pamela is a passionate volunteer and financial supporter of Project 180. In 2016, Pamela, a long-time advocate of criminal justice reform, read the book “Just Mercy”, by Bryan Stevenson. The book was a tipping point from interest to action. So compelled by the stories of incarceration and challenges of reentry following release, she promised herself to become involved locally in helping to change the status quo. She began volunteering for Project 180 in 2017, after having attended a Strong Voices/Strong Subjects lecture, and joined the board in 2019, where she served as Chair in 2021.

With a working background in program and fund development for both academic institutions and nonprofit organizations, Pamela primarily helped foster and supervise sustainable development projects, particularly in natural forest management, throughout Latin America. She has spent the last 20 years as a community volunteer with various philanthropic organizations, focusing on women’s education, environmental conservation, and justice. Pamela holds a B.A. in Inter-American Studies from Florida State University, with minors in Music and Interior Design. She completed post-baccalaureate studies at the University of Cologne, Germany, in International Politics, and received her M.A. from the University of Florida in Latin American Studies.

Pamela is a third generation Floridian and mother to two young adult children and lives in Sarasota with her husband of 25 years, Robert, and two Labrador retrievers. An avid reader and writer, she enjoys applying those skills to support the mission and vision of Project 180. She also enjoys foreign languages, gardening, music and entertaining.

Michael Quattrone

Mike grew up in Sarasota, graduated from Riverview High School, and began college at Stetson University when his life started to unravel due to the disease of addiction. As Mike’s symptoms escalated, he ended up in jail followed by many attempts to recover and get his life back on track. His road to recovery had many twists and turns. Mike says, “The challenges I have experienced in my life led me to Project 180 where I can support people who want to change their lives and are ready to take the necessary steps to make that happen.” Mike knows that people can turn their lives around – he has.

Mike now works as an operation director of a local auto glass company but his primary mission in life is to help people in recovery discover their potential for a new way of living. He volunteers one morning each week in the peer-to-peer counseling center in the Reentry Pod at the Sarasota County Jail. He has also volunteered with Project 180 to develop programs that support the men in our Residential Program homes.

When not attending meetings or chasing after the kids, a great day for Mike is watching the Philadelphia Eagles game with his dad on a Sunday afternoon. Mike and his wife, Katrina, live in Sarasota and have four young children.

Ken Richmond

Ken spent his career as an Information Technology (IT) executive in the financial services industry. During his career, he worked in senior management positions at Royal Bank of Scotland in London, Citigroup in New York City, NASDAQ in Connecticut, and Charles Schwab in San Francisco. In 2012 he moved to Sarasota and started a consulting company called Argent Data Solutions.

In 2019 Ken was introduced to Project 180 at a breakfast meeting at a friend’s home. He was very impressed by the Project 180 mission and the clients he met. He began volunteering as a financial literacy instructor in the Sarasota County Jail soon after. As Ken says, “I wanted to put my years of experience in financial services to work to help people who are getting ready to be released and re-start their lives.” This work inspired him to get more involved with Project 180 and in 2025 he joined our board.

Ken has volunteered throughout his life with various organizations including the Jewish Family Children Services in San Francisco, Connecticut, and Sarasota. He has served on several corporate boards in the technology sector. Ken received his MBA from the University of Michigan and his BA degree in Economics from Clark University. In his spare time, Ken enjoys weightlifting, bicycling, cooking, the arts, and spending time with family and friends.

Lt. Arlene Tracy

Arlene Tracy started her career in corrections with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) in 2004. Promoted to sergeant in 2007 she took the female recovery program from a 14-bed unit to a 48-bed unit and implemented a court-approved parenting class for men inside the Sarasota County Correctional Facility. She currently serves as the lieutenant over programs, property, and commissary. In May 2019, she received a congressional award from Congressman Buchanan for implementing innovative programs for incarcerated individuals. Arlene is an inspector for the Florida Model Jail standards (FMJS), a CJSTC certified instructor and enjoys teaching corrections at Suncoast Technical College. She serves on the Florida Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) advisory board, whose purpose is to help those with severe mental illness. Most recently, in December of 2021, she received her masters in Criminal Justice from University of South Florida.

When asked what led her to serve on the Project 180 board, she says: “Barbara Richards shares the passion of helping incarcerated individuals turn their lives around. And that is important to creating a healthy community for everyone.”

When not at work she enjoys camping, hiking, biking, and canoeing.

In Memoriam

Marianne Moyer, Secretary

After their thirty year careers in telecommunications, Marianne and her husband, John, retired and moved from Maryland to Bradenton, FL where they immediately became involved in local non-profit work.

Marianne served on the Boards of the Manatee United Way, Red Cross, and Junior Leadership. Her special interest was helping children learn to share her love of reading. Having helped organize and start “Reading Pals,” she volunteered for ‘Dive Into Reading’ and other programs to help Title 1 students, eagerly sharing her time and love of reading. She also served on the board of The Myositis Association, supporting people who have myositis.

In 2019, Marianne’s son, who had been incarcerated for six years, was nearing release in a state where he had no resources. She reached out to Project 180 CEO Barbara Richards for advice to help him turn his life around. With the information and support Barbara provided, Marianne was able to help her son make good use of his second chance. He is now a productive member of society.

As she learned more about the scope of Project 180, Marianne made a commitment to support the program. For the last two years Marianne and John helped cook and serve Thanksgiving dinner to the men of Project 180. During the final year of her life, Marianne was a beloved and respected member of the Project 180 Board of Directors.

Marianne passed away peacefully on May 2, 2024.

Staff

Theresa Cusimano, JD. President/CEO.

Theresa Marie Cusimano is a human rights advocate, recognized internationally for her public interest work. Following in the Project 180 founder’s legacy, Theresa shares the belief that dignity is a right for all. Theresa fights for marginalized communities’ access to both equity and equality including those in recovery who are healing from trauma.

Theresa graduated from SUNY Buffalo School of Law, holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Professional Development, and has an undergraduate degree in Business. Born in the “City of Light”, Buffalo, New York, Theresa is the granddaughter of Irish and Sicilian immigrants, whose families were economic, agricultural and political refugees. Her commitment to justice runs generations deep.

If the sun is shining, you’ll find Theresa out on and in the water, recharging. She can often be found chasing dolphins on her paddleboard and plays a mean game of pickleball.

Theresa has been seeking justice since elementary school and came to Sarasota to find it. She loves the small fellowship and peer-to-peer model of Project 180 and looks forward to the day when addiction isn’t a global pandemic and we, as a society, no longer criminalize trauma.

Seth Campbell

First Week Out Program Coordinator

Financial Literacy Course Program Coordinator

seth@project180reentry.org

941-685-7530

Thomas Graff

Residential Program Manager

CEO Workforce Education Program Coordinator

tom@project180reentry.org

941-677-2281 (office)

Stacey Rickelmann

Brand & Operations Manager

stacey@project180reentry.org

941-724-0405 (office)

Founder

Barbara Richards

Barbara Richards, Founder of Project 180, was born and raised in Tulsa, OK. Her family-of-origin’s great curiosity and love of travel instilled a lifelong interest in exploring other cultures and resulted in a young adulthood that was filled with travel and wildly exciting adventures in various parts of the world.

Her travels took her to San Francisco, where she lived and worked as the co-owner/operator of a popular bistro on Potrero Hill. Here, she experienced her first close view of poverty in the form of two women who periodically came to the restaurant to beg for food.

An NPR radio show provided the facts that determined a new trajectory in her life: for every one Black man in college, there were five Black men in prison or jail. She soon began volunteering in the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department as the coordinator of a men’s support group in the felony wing and taught GED and Adult Basic Education in three other San Francisco jails.

Barbara moved to Tallahassee in 2004 to obtain her Master of Science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at The Florida State University. Since 2007, she has lived in the Sarasota area where she founded Project 180 in 2008.

Partners & Friends